Different bullet lengths

[cbourbeau32]

Hello All, its been a while since I posted on here. I have a question. I thought I was having problems with my press/dies because I was having trouble getting my OAL to come out the same every time so I finally thought about measuring the individual bullets and the length of some of them varies quite a bit. I don't remember the exact amount but some were +\- .01 or even a little more. What do you'all do in this case? I guess you just find a middle of the road one set up your bullet seating die with it and just trust that the small amount the variance might be wouldn't make that much difference. Otherwise I would have to re-adjust my bullet seating die before each bullet and slowly screw in the die until it exactly reached the OAL I wanted. Thanks, Charlie

[charles p]

Your seating die contacts the bullet at the ogiive.  It seats from that point, without regard to the OAL.  Each style of bullet will have a diffenent contact point for seating, even thought the bullets may be the same weight.

Is this clear or have I confused you?

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

For bullets like the Hornady V-Max:

I will measure OAL like you are doing.
But with lead tipped bullets like the Hornady Spire Point:

I utilize the Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet (formerly Stoney Point) Comparator (using the ogive as "charles p" mentioned) for a more precise measurement, as the soft lead points tend to be flattened and lengths can vary greatly.


Bill

[cbourbeau32]

Thanks for the replies. Charles you didn't confuse. You confirmed what I thought. Thanks again. Charlie